Andrew Pulrang

5/12/25 - Maintenance Week

Disability Thinking Weekday will be on a maintenance break this week. The next regular issue will be on Monday, May 19, 2025. I'll be spending this week experimenting with some design changes and possible new content additions. If you have any ideas to make the newsletter better or

5/9/25 - Friday Video Share: "Tips for new wheelchair users who are returning to the community"

What do you make of videos like this? Subscribe or Upgrade Tips for new wheelchair users who are returning to the community Empowered Para - April 2, 2025 This video is a good example of a particular genre of disability content or advice. It's positive, can-do, and focused

5/8/25 - Voting accessibility in Australia & Ireland, and what to make of Sen. Fetterman

A look a voting abroad, and trying again to figure out Fetterman ... Subscribe or Upgrade Disability Voting News: May 7, 2025 Sarah Blahovec, The Accessible Voting Booth - May 7, 2025 "While the United States and Australia have very different voting systems, they share very similar barriers to access to

5/7/25 - Willowbrook, helping, and accessible gaming

If we're not all careful, we very easily could "go back."

5/6/25 - A Medicaid vigil, and more travel woes

... the fear, humiliation, and rage of this very specific combination of crappy customer service and bureaucratic incompetence that only disabled people face.

5/5/25 - More news and perspectives on autism

Autism Acceptance Month ended last week. And it was a doozy – so much so that there's still more to say about it ... Subscribe or Upgrade U.S. autism data project sparks uproar over ethics, privacy and intent Ariana Eunjung Cha, Caitlin Gilbert and Fenit Nirappil, Washington Post - April

5/2/25 - Friday Video Share: "Shane's Biggest Fears - And How We Cope"

What are your biggest fears? Subscribe or Upgrade Shane's Biggest Fears - And How We Cope Squirmy & Grubs - April 23, 2025 Shane and Hannah cover a lot of ground in this video. It's very dense with insight into some of the scarier aspects of living with

5/1/25 - Pope Francis, and Montreal

Happy May Day! It's hard to believe we are already close to halfway through 2025. Here are your three disability-related links for the day ... Subscribe or Upgrade The Chair of Saint Peter Peter Torres Fremlin, Disability Debrief - April 30, 2025 "Pope Francis, leader of the Catholic

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Disability Thinking Weekday - April 2025 Recap

4/30/25 - Cuts, cuts, cuts

The core reason for funding disability services should always be that disabled people need them.

4/25/25 - Friday Video Share: "GEMS CAR CHATS: Katie Hopkins Mocked Disabled People & I’m Not Staying Quiet"

In which we meet one Katie Hopkins ... Subscribe or Upgrade GEMS CAR CHATS: Katie Hopkins Mocked Disabled People & I’m Not Staying Quiet Wheelsnoheels - Gem Hubbard I'm getting to be a big fan of Gem Hubbard's "Car Chats" format. It's a

4/24/25 - Cuts, discounts, and reflections on the global disability community

Disability communities and movements everywhere need more of that skill – to appreciate what works and what energizes us, while never ignoring where we fail, or the real dangers we face.

4/23/25 - Struggling for independence, a national survey, and another way to call Congress

But how to we make disability activism itself accessible?

4/22/25 - More on autism, accessible furniture, and a question of discrimination

None of these products seem especially innovative. And that's fine. In fact, it's sort of encouraging.

4/21/25 - 3 takes on RFK Jr. and autism

We are at the moment also locked in a room with one man's personal obsessions.

4/18/25 - Friday Video Share: "Autism advocate on RFK Jr.’s promised autism study"

RFK Jr. said some things about autism this week. Autistic folks have some thoughts ... Subscribe or Upgrade Autism advocate on RFK Jr.’s promised autism study ABC News - April 16, 2025 Video Autism advocate on RFK Jr.’s promised autism studyColin Killick, executive director of the Autism Self Advocacy Network,

4/17/25 - Section 504, trans rights, and AI pros and cons

The big news at the moment is RFK Jr.'s press conference yesterday, in which he had a lot to say about autism that has autistic and disability communities feeling very angry, insulted, and threatened. But, I'm going to hold off on sharing articles and thoughts on

4/16/25 - U.S. cuts, a growing family, and learning Sign online

A bit of a wider variety today. Not all of it is bad or discouraging news. Subscribe or Upgrade Sweeping HHS Cuts Will Put Disabled and Older Americans’ Right to Live in Their Communities at Risk Susan J. Popkin, Nina Russell, Barbara Butrica, Dana Ferrante, Urban Institute- April 7, 2025

4/15/25 - Police violence, DOGE cuts, and Medicaid

Nothing particularly uplifting today ... another disabled person killed by police, and more on threats to disability support. And they're all from NPR. Interesting. Subscribe or Upgrade Intellectually disabled teen shot by Idaho police dies after being removed from life support The Associated Press, National Public Radio - April 12,

4/14/25 - Social Security, and virtual "Hands Off"

A couple of updates on Social Security for today's newsletter – plus a look at how disabled people participated online in last weekend's protests. Subscribe or Upgrade Social Security backs off cuts to phone services amid outcry Emily Peck, Axios - April 9, 2025 "After weeks of

4/11/25 - Friday Video Share: Survivor 48 - Jeff Probst Gets Emotional as Eva Opens Up

I was feeling crummy yesterday, which is why there wasn't a Thursday newsletter. The Friday video for this week is a little different ... Subscribe or Upgrade Survivor 48 - Jeff Probst Gets Emotional as Eva Opens Up SurvivorOnCBS - March 26, 2025 Is this good, actually? Is it just inspirational?

4/9/25 - Fake accessibility, disability and death, fashion and identity

I am finally getting around to planning for some kind of biweekly or monthly stand-alone post, just for this newsletter, by me and maybe eventually some guest writers, on disability issues and ideas. If you have any thoughts on this, please let me know in the comments, or by

4/8/25 - Medicaid, pain, and Miss Manners

This week I am trying to share some interesting but less timely articles that have been hard to fit in because there have been so many more urgent things to read about lately. Subscribe or Upgrade Tell Your Legislators: Protect Medicaid! Autistic Self Advocacy Network - April 4, 2025 "The

4/7/25 - A potentially important lawsuit, and a disability summit

I had these articles set up by mid-day last Friday. They are still timely. But all I can think about right now is how plunging stock markets affect disabled people, disability services, and disability organizations. My guess is that the impact is greater than some might imagine. Subscribe or

4/4/25 - Friday Video Share: "GEMS CAR CHATS: PIP is Changing! What You Need to Know"

A disability lifestyle YouTuber gets a little bit political. Honestly, it's kind of encouraging. Subscribe or Upgrade GEMS CAR CHATS: PIP is Changing! What You Need to Know Wheelsnoheels - Gem Hubbard - April 3, 2025 What's interesting about this video? * It's about the U.K.